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Arthur Mortlock Mysteries You Can Solve.

A free casebook · printable PDF

Case
Zero

The Mortlock Files

Five lost cases from the autumn before Ravenwood Manor. Every clue is true. Every case has exactly one solution. And together, the five culprits spell a single hidden word.

  • 5 cases
  • 1 hidden word
  • Free
CONFIDENTIAL
5 cases · 1 hidden word · free

What's in the box

Five files, rising from easy to a full Medium case. Each closed case gives you one letter.

  • ?
    01
    Easy

    The Lantern at Thistlewick Lock

  • ?
    02
    Easy

    The Last Ribbon at Haddon Green

  • ?
    03
    Bridge

    The Night Express at the Brackwater Hotel

  • ?
    04
    Bridge

    The Final Curtain at Brightwater Pier

  • ?
    05
    Medium

    The Gatehouse at Ravenwood

Try the first file now

No grid needed. Thirty seconds of thinking, if you're good.

File 01 · The Lantern at Thistlewick Lock

Mr. Jasper Thwaite, keeper of Thistlewick Lock for thirty years, lies beside the lower gates. The lock bell is still trembling. The evidence settles one thing: the culprit was in the Tollhouse.

The suspects

  • Imogen Tarrant, the keeper's niece
  • Clement Sowerby, a canal surveyor
  • Roderick Pell, a barge owner behind on his tolls
  • Lavinia Mallory, a painter

The clues · when the bell rang

  1. Clement Sowerby was not in the Boathouse.
  2. Clement Sowerby was not in the Tollhouse.
  3. Imogen Tarrant was on the Towpath.
  4. Lavinia Mallory was not in the Tollhouse.

Who was in the Tollhouse?

How it works

Print it, grab a pencil, pour something strong.

  1. Leave your emailOne field, one box to tick. No spam, no selling your address.
  2. Confirm itClick the link in the confirmation email. Your download arrives right after.
  3. Solve and find the wordFive files, five letters. The word tells you where the story goes next.

Then: Ravenwood Manor

Case Zero ends where Murder Mystery Logic Puzzles for Adults begins: a dinner party, a scream at nine o'clock, and seventy more cases. Paperback, available now.

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Every clue is true. Every case has exactly one solution. You never have to guess.

Every detective has a first box of files. This is mine. Open it, close five cases, and tell me what word you found.

— Arthur Mortlock
Get Case Zero free